Tuesday, August 23, 2005
A Fatwa on Pat Robertson
Okay, I know I'm not technically allowed to call a Fatwa on Pat Robertson (or anyone else. I'm not Muslim, nor am I an Imam. They don't let women be Imam's do they?). But there must be some nice Muslim Imam out there who could.
In case you're wondering, Mr. Robertson (known as Crazy Fool in many circles), has called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. According to Robertson (via an Associated Press article), President Chavez is in danger of creating "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism" in Venezuela, due in large part to Chavez' criticism of President Bush. The unspoken threat, too, is that Chavez may get so peeved at Georgie W. that he restricts the flow of Venezuelan oil to the U.S.; The Associated Press quotes CIA estimates that the U.S. sucks up about "59 percent of Venezuela's total oil exports."
Less oil would be a bad thing, of course. I don't relish paying $5.00 per gallon for "essence of dead dinosaurs" any more than others do. However, I'm also cognizant of the extreme human suffering and global ill will that occurred when the U.S. (under the guise of the CIA) helped overthrow the popularly elected Socialist president of Chile, Savador Allende. The extreme right military dictatorship that took control of Chile for a generation may have satisfied Richard Nixon's anti-Communist leanings, but it wrecked the hell out of Chile.
Plus, I think it's pretty hypocritical for the U.S. to be involved in overthrowing freely elected officials and replacing them with Fascists. Extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers have more in common than either care to admit, and there is no proof -- as there was none in the case of Allende -- that Chavez is extreme in his views. One thing is sure, though: if he is overthrown or assassinated, the people that fill the power vacuum will not have the best interests of the country's people in mind. They will rape and pillage the country until there is nothing of value left, and they will torture plenty of ordinary citizens in the process. This is the way dictators work. No exception.
Speaking of hypocrisy, does anybody else find it hypocritical that a Christian minister such as Robertson would call for someone's murder? That flies right in the face of "Thou Shalt Not Kill." The fact that Crazy Fool called for Chavez' murder on-air, during a "700 Club" segment just adds another layer of icing on the cake, doesn't it?
According to rumor, the IRS has been after Robertson for years and has suggested his monetary dealings are less than legal. Surely calling for the murder of a foreign president on a supposedly religious television show will get somebody's attention. IRS? Misuse of so-called religious contributions to fund political means? FBI? Threats against foreign nationals? FCC? Inflamatory speech?
If you want to give your money to religious people, for God's sake (literally), join a local church/temple/coven/etc. and keep your money in the community where it can do some good. Don't send it to unhinged television evangelists or muslim extremists or people that promise you you'll never have to pay taxes again. They are all liars.
Please, good Imams. Just one good Fatwa!
In case you're wondering, Mr. Robertson (known as Crazy Fool in many circles), has called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. According to Robertson (via an Associated Press article), President Chavez is in danger of creating "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism" in Venezuela, due in large part to Chavez' criticism of President Bush. The unspoken threat, too, is that Chavez may get so peeved at Georgie W. that he restricts the flow of Venezuelan oil to the U.S.; The Associated Press quotes CIA estimates that the U.S. sucks up about "59 percent of Venezuela's total oil exports."
Less oil would be a bad thing, of course. I don't relish paying $5.00 per gallon for "essence of dead dinosaurs" any more than others do. However, I'm also cognizant of the extreme human suffering and global ill will that occurred when the U.S. (under the guise of the CIA) helped overthrow the popularly elected Socialist president of Chile, Savador Allende. The extreme right military dictatorship that took control of Chile for a generation may have satisfied Richard Nixon's anti-Communist leanings, but it wrecked the hell out of Chile.
Plus, I think it's pretty hypocritical for the U.S. to be involved in overthrowing freely elected officials and replacing them with Fascists. Extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers have more in common than either care to admit, and there is no proof -- as there was none in the case of Allende -- that Chavez is extreme in his views. One thing is sure, though: if he is overthrown or assassinated, the people that fill the power vacuum will not have the best interests of the country's people in mind. They will rape and pillage the country until there is nothing of value left, and they will torture plenty of ordinary citizens in the process. This is the way dictators work. No exception.
Speaking of hypocrisy, does anybody else find it hypocritical that a Christian minister such as Robertson would call for someone's murder? That flies right in the face of "Thou Shalt Not Kill." The fact that Crazy Fool called for Chavez' murder on-air, during a "700 Club" segment just adds another layer of icing on the cake, doesn't it?
According to rumor, the IRS has been after Robertson for years and has suggested his monetary dealings are less than legal. Surely calling for the murder of a foreign president on a supposedly religious television show will get somebody's attention. IRS? Misuse of so-called religious contributions to fund political means? FBI? Threats against foreign nationals? FCC? Inflamatory speech?
If you want to give your money to religious people, for God's sake (literally), join a local church/temple/coven/etc. and keep your money in the community where it can do some good. Don't send it to unhinged television evangelists or muslim extremists or people that promise you you'll never have to pay taxes again. They are all liars.
Please, good Imams. Just one good Fatwa!
